Approximately a two hour drive south down the coast from Cape Town is the sleepy fishing village of Gansbaai. For more than ten years, what has brought international divers to this part of the Cape coast is the well-deserved reputation of Gansbaai as being the “Great White Shark Capital of the World”. The unique 20 foot channel that is found approximately 6 miles off-shore between Dyer Island and Geyser Rock has earned international fame as one of the most successful areas in the world to view Great Whites in their natural environment. This “shark channel”, situated between one island that is habited by seals and the other by birds, is a natural feeding area for these magnificent sharks and has been described as the largest single aggregation area for Great Whites on the planet.
The Great White Shark diving which is conducted in this area is technically not diving, but instead consists of “divers” being lowered in to the water in a cage with wetsuits and masks and breath holding, while chum and bait is put in to the water to draw the sharks closer to the cage. It is possible to see as many as 5 individual sharks on a single trip and the sharks’ passes from the cage can be no further than a few feet away. For clients of In Depth Dive Travel wishing to include this unforgettable shark experience in their trip to southern Africa, we work exclusively with Shark Diving Unlimited, owned and operated by Mike Rutzen. Mike “Sharkman” Rutzen has worked with Great Whites for more than 10 years and is one of the pioneers of free diving with Whites. Shark Diving Unlimited is a PADI Resort Dive Center and for clients looking to get the most out of their “shark diving” experience, Mike Rutzen personally teaches a three day PADI Great White Shark Specialty course which covers the biology, ecology, behavior and conservation of the Great White. For clients interested in participating in this course, please contact us directly for more details.
